Bleeding Martini
by Fleur de Anemone
Summary: Kiba's new mission is a little... Strange? Yeah. That's the word. When the wealthy heir to a powerful legacy comes to stay in Konohagakure, Inuzuka Kiba and his team of solely Hyuuga Hinata are assigned to protect her during her stay.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto.

**Aforenotes: **I'm sorry if Martini seems a little Bloody-Maryish. I needed her past to be sad, but just wait as the story progresses...

**OH!** I almost forgot. I'm just a little puzzled over this... You only use suffixes on names if you're addressing the person, right? So when Aufer says "We just need permission, Kazekage-sama. Before her father was sentanced, he told me to send Martini away while things were sorted out.", should I add a suffix to "Martini" as well? I'm not sure...

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter one: Prologue**

"What is it you needed to see me about?" Gaara asked in a bored tone. "It's the middle of a meeting..."

Martini looked at him, mascara running down her cheeks, carried by streams of tears. The elder boy put a hand on her head fondly and looked at Gaara as well, eyes cold and rather expressionless. "We just need permission, Kazekage-sama. Before her father was sentanced, he told me to send Martini away while things were sorted out. Martini is no ninja and therefore doesn't possess any Sunagakure secrets, but we just needed permission to send her to Konohagakure while we fix things here."

Gaara rested his cheek on his hand. "Very well. Temari-san, get me a phone, or a bird. Preferably a phone."

Temari stood up. "Right away, Gaara-sama."

While Temari was off getting the wireless, and the council of elders was getting restless, Gaara looked at Martini and her servant, Aufer, and asked, "And how did her father know Sunagakure would be in a crisis if he was killed many years ago?"

Aufer shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama, but that is family business with a 'classified' label slapped on it. I hope you are not offended."

"Not at all." Gaara took the phone Temari offered and clicked a button on speed dial. "Hello, Tsunade-san? Yes... Yes, I'm using the phone. ... No, I'm not sick. ...Yes, this is really Gaara. ...No, I'm not drunk."

This short conversation got a few giggles from the present people, but Gaara shot them death glares and continued. "Listen, Tsunade-san, Sunagakure is going through a minor crisis right now and we need to send a certain girl to Konoha so she can wait it out. Her dead father's orders. I want you to assign a good team of chuunin to protect her during her stay. She can stay at the Sunagakure embassy. Who do you have in mind to assign?"

Before she had time to answer, Gaara set her on speakerphone because his hand was getting cramped.

"I was thinking Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata," Her voice buzzed. "But she won't have much protection, as Aburame Shino has family business to attend to and cannot be there."

"That's find, as long as there is capable of protection."

"Of course, they passed the chuunin exams just last year. But I'll be sure to assign someone else to help them."

"Thank you, Tsunade-san."

"You're welcome, Gaara-san. When should we be expecting her?"

Gaara looked at Aufer and Martini. Martini looked away, and Aufer sighed. Gaara knew by the way they acted that they weren't going anywhere alone.

"Is it possible for Kiba and Hinata to come and pick her up? She doesn't seem like she wants to go anywhere."

"I'll send them right away."

"Thank you again, Tsunade-san."

"You're welcome. Kiba and Hinata will be there in... I'm guessing two to three days. Good bye."


	2. Inuzuka Kiba

**Diclaimers:** A, I don't own Naruto. B, I don't own SR-71s "Goodbye" which is basically Martini's poem.

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter two: Inuzuka Kiba**

Martini sat up in bed, smoothing down her black silk pajamas. She grabbed her brush off her bedside table and pushed it through her coal black hair until it was smooth and as soft as her pajamas. She set it down and turned, peering out her window, blinking owlishly against the bright sun. She hadn't said a word since when Gaara said she could go to Konoha.

Sharp knuckles were rapped against the door, capturing Martini's attention. What time was it? Seven? AM? Who could need her at this time?

"... Come in..." She called in a rather quiet tone.

"Ano... H...Hi." Hyuuga Hinata peeked around the doorframe. "I'm... H-Hinata. K-Kiba-kun and I th-thought it would b-be best if I c-came up t-to get you in c-case you were un-undressed..."

"That was smart of you, Hinata-san." Martini commented. She swung her legs around her bed and stood. "I'll be down in a minute."

"A-All right... We'll be d-downstairs in the ki-kitchen..."

Martini regarded this with a nod and set about the task of choosing what earrings to take and which to leave behind. The last thing Hinata saw before closing the door were the magnificant diamonds Martini pulled uncerimoniously from her jewelry box.

The Hyuuga heir returned to the kitchen where Inuzuka Kiba tapped his fingers against the table. "Well?" He asked.

"She'll be down soon. She needs to get ready to leave, I think." Hinata replied, stutterless. Kiba was, after all, a teammate.

"Is that so? Mm." He nudged his enormous dog with his foot. "Akamaru, why don't you go upstairs and... Introduce yourself?"

Akamaru barked and trotted up the stairs. Aufer set down a tray of expensive looking tea, nodding briskly. "My apologies for making you two come all the way out here."

Kiba wrinkled his nose, but Hinata accepted the tea and sipped it slowly. "Aufer, is it?" She asked. Aufer nodded. Kiba let Hinata speak to Aufer alone, being more used to speaking to powerful people than he.

"What are you to the family, Aufer-kun?" She asked.

"I'm a servent, actually." Aufer explained. "My family has always served Martini's, just as the lower branch serves the main branch of the Hyuuga family, which you are no doubt from judging by your pale eyes. We're just not related, that's all. I've known Martini until she was a little girl; she's a lot like you are, Hinata-sama. She's very quiet, but I've seen her angry once. It's not a very pretty sight."

"What does her mother do for a living?" Hinata asked with an air of nobility.

"Her mother is an actress. She does more local films than national, which is why you've most likely never heard of her. Very rich, but she usually travels for her movies. She was never a, pardon me saying, a good mother figure to Martini."

"What about her father? What does he do?"

"Hinata-sama, Martini's father was tried and executed for murder when Martini was just a little girl."

Kiba and Hinata looked at each other, but were interrupted with a loud bark from upstairs. Kiba jumped and ran up after his dog, because only he could understand him. Hinata blinked and looked back at Aufer, who was suddenly down holding a thin book towards her. She took it and leafed through the pages.

"Martini's old diary. She has several of them. We found this one when we were planting a tree in the backyard. It was buried in a well covered hole."

Hinata, pausing now and then to read various enties, came to a halt on a certain page.

"I'm everything you know,  
You wonder friend or foe.  
I'm the burning in your throat when you swallow.  
Then you spit me out,  
Stomach full of doubt,  
Now you're faking every word  
Out of your mouth."

She looked up, cocking an eyebrow at Aufer. "What's this?"

"A poem. I did a little research and discovered it's actually a song written by a rock band called SR-71." Aufer shrugged. "After some thought, I concluded it was about her mother, Tori."

"And why do you think that, Aufer-kun?"

"Well, because she travels, Tori can't keep many promises. I think I know what made Martini hate Tori so much. Several years ago, when Martini was about ten, Tori made a promise that she would be home the entire week of Martini's birthday. But the producers of her next movie found the perfect place, and they had to shoot a scene while it was perfect."

"So what happened?"

"Tori missed the entire week, including Martini's eleventh birthday."

Hinata frowned. "That's not very motherly. My father, Hyuuga Hiashi, at least gets me something on my birthday. He hates me because 'I'm useless.' But not even showing up, well, that's even beyond him."

**Meanwhile...**

Akamaru wagged his tail and ran upstairs as Kiba told him to. The intelligent dog sniffed for Martini's scent and found her door, bumping his head against it to push it up. Surveying the room with his dark eyes, the dog saw and sensed no presence of Martini. Following her scent, he picked his way through the rather neat room and put both paws up on the windowsill to see over it. The first thing he saw was Martini, jumping off a tree limb, landing on the ground with a sigh, and running off. barking loudly, he followed out the open window and jumped into the tree.

That was when Kiba arrived in the room. He too smelled Martini and looked out the window, watching Akamaru jump out of the tree to give chase.

"Dammit, Akamaru!" He jumped out the window and landed on the ground with a small burst of chakra. Summoning chakra to his feet, he ran off after the two.

Martini looked over her shoulder at Akamaru, who was gaining quickly. Why was she running? She didn't want to leave Sunagakure. This was her homecountry...

Martini didn't get far.

Soon later, she came to a small lake. This was where the people of Sungakure got their water. Martini, still looking back at Akamaru, tripped over a rock and was sent sprawling into the water.

Akamaru stopped at the water's edge and Kiba ran up next to his dog. Regarding his client with a puzzled eye, he rolled up his pants and waded into the water to help Martini out. "Dignified."

"Shut up."

Kiba sighed and put his parka on her shoulders. "Why did you run?"

"I don't want to go," Martini replied in a small voice. Akamaru braced his back and let Martini sit on it. He and Kiba started to walk back to Martini's house. Kiba looked at her; was this girl related to the Hyuuga's? Her voice was certainly quiet like Hinata's.

"Why not?"

"Sunagakure is my homeland... I couldn't leave them in a time of need, no matter how useless I am."

Kiba threw up his arms enthusiastically. "SURE YOU CAN!"

Martini sighed. "...Inuzuka..."

Kiba shrugged. "Well, come on anyway. We'd better get back to your house. We have to pack up your stuff and get moving for Konoha."


	3. Hyuuga Neji

**Disclaimers:** A, I don't own Naruto.

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter three: Hyuuga Neji**

"Ah. And so this team needs an extra member for an important mission."

"That's correct." Tsunade laced her fingers together. "You three are the strongest team of chuunin we have. We need one of you to assist this team in a mission to protect a young girl from Sunagakure while she stays in our village."

"What team?"

"Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata."

Neji narrowed his eyes. _Hinata._

"I'll do it," He sighed, standing up. "Just another oppurtinity I can use to become a jounin. I hope you two aren't offended,"

Tenten and Lee grinned. "You'll be a jounin soon," Tenten encouraged. "Sure we'll let you do it. Your dreams are bigger than ours."

Neji and Lee blinked. "Who are you and where is Tenten?"

Tenten sighed. "Never mind... Dorks..."

Their conversation was interrupted when the door was thrust open and in strode Martini, looking shy and quiet. She sat down and looked at Tsunade. "I'm here."

"I can see that!" Tsunade grinned. "Welcome to Konohagakure, Martini-san! Where are Kiba and Hinata?"

"They're taking my things to the embassy." She replied. Looking around, she asked, "Did I interrupt anything?"

"We were just choosing which of them would assist Kiba and Hinata in protecting you." Tsunade gestured to Neji. "Martini-san, this is Hyuuga Neji, Hinata's cousin. Neji-kun, this is the girl you'll be protecting, Martini."

Once their eyes were locked, Martini's made a great show of moving around. Neji knew exactly what each eye position meant; the first was she thought he was cute. The next, she wondered why his eyes were so pale, which she answered by remembering he was a Hyuuga. Then their eyes locked again and Martini looked away, embarassed, as her cheeks flushed red.

"Why are you embarassed?" He asked in the silence.

Martini turned an even deeper red as she spoke. "I think... I think your hair is pretty. That's all."

"I saw that in your eye movement. It was a stupid question on my part," Neji replied. Tenten looked at her superior teammate quizzically. She had never known Neji to be so polite, not even to his own family, or them, or even Gai-sensei. What was going on?

Lee was just as puzzled. Tenten was acting strange, and so was Neji; and Lee hadn't said a word since they got there. Why was everyone so strange today?  
"So, Neji-kun, you're a Hyuuga like Hinata, no?" Martini asked, regaining her composure. Neji nodded. "Ah."

Martini crossed her legs and put her hands on her knee in a dignified way. "I'm sorry, Lord Hokage-san, but I don't want any Hyuugas assisting me. I's rather you reassign me to a different team."

Tsunade quirked a brow. "Why?"

"Well..." Martini brought a hand to her face and touched her lips, as if trying to stop them from trembling. "The man my father was accused of killing... The one he murdered... Was a Hyuuga..."

Everyone sort of blinked, Neji the hardest.

"Hyuuga Hinairo," She went on. "Your grandfather's brother, Neji-kun... He was killed when he was just a little boy... I'm grateful he had a brother, for if he didn't, the Hyuuga clan would have ceased. I'm sorry, but I'm not very comfortable having two Hyuugas around all the time..."

Neji opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Kiba looked around the doorframe and said, "Martini-sama, we have a problem."

* * *

Martini gazed up at the smoldering building with glassy eyes. "...Where will I stay?"

"The Sunagakure embassy was on fire when Hinata and I arrived. The residents were just putting it out." Kiba gestured to the burnt woodwork. "Looks like you'll be bunking with me for the time you're here."

"She could stay with us, Kiba-san." Hinata said quietly. "We have plenty of extra room..."

"Yeah, but we have a guest room ever since my brother died of pneumonia." Kiba replied. "We need something to fill that space."

Martini smiled at Kiba. It was the first time he had seen her smile, and it made him feel... Happy to see her so content. He smiled back.

Tsunade looked up at the wreakage and sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "How am I going to explain this to Gaara..."


	4. Drunken Fun

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter four: Drunken Fun**

Martini collapsed back on her bed and sighed. "I'm so hungry..."

Kiba sat in a chair next to the door, fanning himself with a hand. Akamaru panted and curled up on the floor next to him. "Me, too..."

Hinata blinked and set down a box on the mahogany wood desk. "I'm not hungry at all..."

"I am," Neji added. "Kiba-san, get up. Martini-sama, why don't we go to the Ichiraku ramen shop and get some dinner?"

Martini nodded. She turned and asked, "Hinata-san, can you finish up here? I think there's only one box left. It's pretty big, can you handle it?"

Hinata nodded. "I can, Martini-san."

Martini smiled. "Thanks, Hinata-san."

* * *

"Beef ramen and sake."

"Roast chicken ramen with fine tequila."

Martini looked sideways at Neji and Kiba. "What's the legal drinking age here...?"

Kiba grinned. "Fifteen."

"And you're..."

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen, but I've never been drunk. Kiba's been drunk nearly eight times and his hangovers are like Hell to deal with." Neji sighed, tapping the counter.

"You should talk, Hyuuga-san." Kiba replied. "You've been drunk before. There was that time at Sakura's birthday party, you got so drunk you thought Tenten and Sakura and Ino were models. And when you woke up, you had such a bad hangover, you told Tenten to leave you alone and screw herself in Hell."

Martini, after placing her order of plain chicken ramen and an interestingly titled drink (That Kiba advised against mentally because it was so alcoholic, but said nothing), laughed. Neji glared death glares at Kiba. He, after the last few hours of helping Martini put her things in Kiba's spare room, had realized that Kiba had become extremely protective of the girl as if she were his own sister. By the way his eyes darted to her when she laughed or smiled, Neji concluded that Kiba was falling for the girl, thought she had no possible characteristics whatsoever.

What was his problem? Martini was just a rich girl with sucky parents. She was boring. _Boring, like..._ Neji thought for a moment. _Boring, like Hinata._

Their food arrived, and the first thing Martini tried was the drink she ordered, which was called a White Russian. Martini liked it...

So, once she finished her ramen, Martini drank the whole thing and ordered two more.

So, once she finished those, she blinked, grinned, and fell face first onto the bar.

Kiba and Neji sighed. "I've never seen anyone do that before," Neji commented, massaging his temples. "Not even you or Chouji."

Kiba prodded Martini with a finger. "She's out cold."

Neji pushed away from the bar and stood up. "I'd better take her back to your house."

"But I'm still hungry..." Kiba whined. "So is Akamaru!"

Neji sort of shot him a... Glance. "So stay and eat. I'll be back soon, after I put her to bed. I'd better lay out some Motrin and water for the hangover she'll have tomorrow."

Kiba nodded. "Right... Better hurry. I think she's dead..."

**Meanwhile...**

Hinata picked up the huge box and set it on her shoulder, carrying it easily to Martini's room. She was instructed to open every box and put away what was inside, but this box was different.

Hinata grabbed a crowbar, though she could have easily used her hands (Martini said that she might break something inside if she used her hands), and began to pry off the lid. Kicking it over, she watched as its contents spilled out. She was surprised to watch Aufer tumble from inside.

"Aufer-kun?" She cocked an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"My apologies, Hinata!" He bowed repeatedly... To Hinata, it was like he would never stop. She was also surprised; Aufer was in such a hurry, he didn't have time to use respectable suffixes.

"Aufer-kun, Aufer-kun, what is it? Why did you let us smuggle you here where we could simply bring you in?"

"I didn't want Martini to know I was here." He revealed a thick, dusty, gold-bound book from his shirt. "Look at this! I found it while I was packing up Martini's things. It looks very old. I think it was written by her grandfather..."

"Aufer-kun, can this wait?"

"No! It's VERY important!"

Hinata sighed and grabbed a piece of paper off the desk. She scribbled "I finished and went home, Martini-san. -Hinata" and said, "Come on, let's go back to my house if this can't wait."

* * *

Hinata and Aufer were gone by the time Neji arrived home with Martini, wasted and unconscious in his arms. Looking around, and seeing that Martini's bed was littered with random objects such as perfume and makeup, he sighed angrily and propped her up in a chair. Hinata, obviously, didn't know where to put makeup, because Hinata never used makeup before. But Neji had seen his mother put on makeup many times before, and he knew that it was usually kept in bathrooms. So he gathered up the tubes of lipstick and mascara and carried them off to the bathroom, lining some neatly on the counter and putting the rest in small cases in drawers.

When Neji returned, Martini was in a different position that when he left her. She was staring at the ceiling now, eyes wide and bored, her fingers lacing and unlacing together, as if trying to entertain themselves. Neji blinked and said emotionlessly, "You're awake?"

Martini turned to him, blinking slowly, as if registering who he was. Her purple eyes were clouded with drunkeness. Then her face split in a wide grin. "Hiii, Nejiii-kuuun..."

"...Hi. Now Martini-sama, why don't you change and get in bed? It's late, and you're... You're still drunk, aren't you?" He asked, sighing.

Martini nodded. "Yup, yup!" She smirked. "Get in bed? Why don't _you_ get in bed?" This phrase resulted in Martini beginning a fit of drunk giggling...

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It _means_ if you want to make love you just have to ask." She giggled.

Neji turned red. "What? I never said that..."

"But you're _thinking_ it!" She replied smugly.

"No, I'm not!" Neji pointed at her bed. "Now go to bed."

Neji then found himself in a very complicated situation. Martini was clinging to him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Her fingers slipped through his hair, pulling it from the loose ponytail. She squeezed a handful of hair slightly and leaned in for a kiss. "Neji-kun, come ooonnn... It's just sex..."

"JUST sex!" Neji pulled away from her and scrambled back into a wall, which was very un-Neji like. "_JUST_ SEX!"

"Yeah, it's _just_ sex." She picked her way over boxes and furniture over to him, and put her hands on either side of his head, touching the wood of the wall. "Is that what every sixteen year old boy wants?"

"NO!"

"Of course! All you want is _hot_, _passionate_, _sex_."

Neji hated the way she emphasized those three words. Martini pressed her body closer and leaned in, licking his ear, making him freeze, then flinch. Martini giggled when she felt him shudder. "Neji-kuuun, are you nerrrvousss?"

"Yes..."

Martini angled her head and gently bumped her forehead with his. "You shouldn't be... You know you want to..."

Neji, in a moment of panic, reached up with inhuman speed (Powered by fear she might actually kiss him) and pressed a pressure point behind Martini's neck. Martini paused and reached back, feeling her neck. Then, the girl simply closed her eyes and blacked out.

Neji wiped his ear on the back of his hand and said, "Maybe, unless that's the alcohol talking."


	5. Jealousy

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto.

**Aforenotes:** _Oto-san_ means _father_. It's actually _Otosan _as a full word, but I thought it would sound really stupid as Otosan-san.

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter five: Jealousy**

"We're home, Oto-san." Hinata called. Hiashi looked up from Hanabi, Hinata's little sister, and sighed. "Welcome home, Hinata-san." His eyes darted to Aufer, then fixed on Hinata again. "Who's this?"

"This is Aufer, Oto-san. Martini's servant. He has something to tell me that he says is very important. Can we use one of the living rooms for a little while?"

"As you wish, Hinata-san."

Hinata grabbed Aufer and scurried into a room, sitting down Japanese style on the cushions. "Now. What is it you found out, Aufer-kun?"

"This." Aufer sat down about a yard opposite her and put the book between them. He pulled back and let Hinata inspect the book, feeling the oldness of the pages and staring at the exquisite design carved onto it.

"What is it?"

"I found it among Martini's things. I shouldn't have looked, I shouldn't have pried into family affairs, but I couldn't help myself. And now I'm going to die."

Hinata's eyes widened. "You're going to die, Aufer-kun?"

"Yes. Which is why I must tell you this quickly. I don't have much time." He grabbed the book and flipped swiftly to a page. "After reading several pages I began to think this was Martini's father's diary, or journal. He wrote down his thoughts, his discoveries-- He was an explorer, you know-- and feelings. But I read a page I shouldn't have, and after several experiments, I concluded..." He gulped. "That the page was cursed to kill all who were not of the writer's blood. Which is why I have to die."

Hinata quickly averted her eyes to the page. "Well, I can't read it then..."

"But I can. I'm dying anyway." Aufer picked it up and sighed. You can't read it, but you can listen." He cleared his throat and began to read.

* * *

Neji, as promised, laid out a bottle of Motrin pills and a glass of water next to Martini's bed for when she woke up with a hangover from Hell. Picking Martini up off the floor and putting her in her bed, he looked down at her and sighed. "If this is how you are when you're drunk, I prefer you sober."

He turned and left, closing the door behind him and leaning against it, running a hand through his hair. "Damn..."

"You were in there a while."

Neji lifted his eyes and looked at Kiba, sitting against the wall, his fingers buried in Akamaru's fur.

"Tell me, Neji-san, how long did it take to put Martini to bed?"

"Four minutes," Neji estimated. "Including how long it took me to put the stuff on her bed away."

"And, Neji-san, how long did it take you to lay out her medicine and water?"

"Two minutes."

"It takes about five minutes to get here from Ichiraku. But, I think you were in there for ten minutes after getting here. What were you doing?"

Neji rubbed the back of his head. "Martini woke up and made it hard to get her to go to bed. She's honestly like a child when she's drunk--"

"That's not what I asked. What. Were. You. Doing. In. There."

Neji smirked and sighed. "Kiba-san, she's a big girl, you don't need to be her big brother--"

"What were you doing, dammit!"

"I told you, Martini was making it difficult to get her to sleep, so I had to knock her out..."

"You _knocked her out_?"

"I had to, it's not like I had much of a choice--"

"It doesn't take four minutes to knock someone out." Kiba sniffed the air, as did Akamaru. "I can smell her scent on your body. The air is clogged with created heat. And your ear is wet."

Neji winced. Kiba stood up and faced him fiercely. Neji actually slid back along the wall; he had never seen Kiba's eyes like that. "What. Happened."

"Well, Kiba-san..." Neji averted his eyes. "When Martini woke up, she was still drunk, and, um... Seduced me..."

"AND YOU LET HER?" Kiba shrieked.

There, Neji found himself in another bad situation.

Kiba pushed him against a wall, his fingers firmly dug into Neji's collar. "I hope you didn't do anything you might regret, Neji-san." He hissed dangerously. "Because when she wakes up, and if she remembers anything, and if anything but what you said happened, I'll kill you."

Neji could have easily thrown him off, but he was in slight shock. Even to his Hyuuga eyes, Kiba didn't show any signs of deep emotion. Just pure anger. Kiba's eyes flickered, and Neji chose that moment to say, "You like her, don't you, Kiba-san?"

Kiba spun around and shoved Neji towards the door. "Just go home, Neji-san. You're not needed here anymore."

Neji, stumbling, shot Kiba a last glare, before heaving open the door and leaving angrily.

Nobody talks to Hyuuga Neji like that and gets away without a fight.


	6. The Family Legacy

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto.

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter six: The Family Legacy**

**Entry #95  
****6.25.1994**

My time is coming to an end. I'm going to die. I was practicing with my powers, and a Hyuuga-- Hyuugs Hinairo-- stumbled in on my training. In my panic of discovery, I killed him... I wonder what Tori will say. She'll be so disappointed. She'll forever brood in shame of me. I hate myself.

And on top of Tori resenting me, Martini, now four, will also resent me. I'll be tried, sentanced, and killed for this murder. She'll be so sad. The police force is coming. I think just for the Hell of it the police chief is bringing his son, Uchiha Itachi, to watch them arrest me. Damn... I need to leave a note for Tori and Martini. I'll have to explain the legacy. This is so horrible.

NO TIME! I just got a call from the police chief that they're coming to take me. I'll need to right it here.

_**Tahata Tori-san-**_

Take yourself and Martini and move. Move to Sunagakure. You'll be safe there. Now pay attention to what I'm going to say.

The family legacy isn't a heirloom, or a simple plot of land. The legacy is a power. A bloodline, as they say. Tori-san, after close examination, I've concluded that Martini has the amazing power of telekinesis. How else can we explain all those times those cookies have gone missing just after Martini stormed off to go to her room? Martini's powers are not strong, yet, but after training, they'll grow. Once she's done training Martini will be able to project images of anything, make them so realistic they'll seem like genjutsu. She'll be able to move things with her mind, and make things disappear. I'm sorry this explaination is so brief; they're almost here.

I hid this in the bookcase so it looks like a normal old book. On the day of my trial I'll tell you where to find this journal. I love you, Tori-san, I love you with all my heart. I don't want to die. I want to live and stay with you. But I am a wanted man and I should be punished for killing innocent Hyuuga Hinairo. Good bye, Tori-san. I love you.

_**-Tahata Jayruss**_


	7. A Nightmare

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto.

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter seven: A Nightmare**

**The next day**

Martini rolled over and sighed in her sleep. "Ahhh..." She winced, snuggling deeper into the covers. Her head _killed_... That is, until she felt something fuzzy. She opened her eyes and sat up, looking straight into the face of a tail-wagging Akamaru. "Hey..." She whispered.

The black haired girl reached up and stroked Akamaru's head. "Who's a huge, cute doggie? You are, yes you are..."

"Nobody ever called _me_ a huge, cute doggie before." Kiba commented, pushing into the room with a tray of breakfast.

Martini smiled. "That's because you're not a dog, Kiba-kun. Who's a huge, cute human? You are!"

Kiba blushed and set down her breakfast. "Here. I thought I'd bring it up in case you had a hangover from Hell."

Martini pointed at her head. "Is that what this headache is?"

"Yup. It happens when you get drunk." He gestured to the bedside table. "N... I laid out some Motrin for you. That'll ease the pain."

Martini looked over and smiled. "Thanks. You're really nice, Kiba-kun."

Kiba rubbed the back of his head, grinning. "You think so?"

Martini nodded. "Yes."

Kiba blushed more, then turned. "Alright, well, Neji and Hinata and I have nothing else to do, so once you're out of bed we're going to go train. You want to watch?"

Martini laid back on her bed. "Can I have another hour? My head _kills_. I'm afraid that if I move my brain will implode, or explode, or another word that ends with 'plode...'"

"Martini-sama, just a warning, if you think too much your brain just _might_ explode. We can't have that, I don't want to mop Martini-residue off the floor."

"I don't want to mop up Kiba-residue either."

"I'm leaving, okay?"

"Thank you."

"Welcome."

* * *

_**Oto-san?**_

_"Don't worry, little one," Tahata Jayruss said, kneeling down and petting her hair. "The future will unfold like the rays of the sun. I might come back one day, who knows? Maybe the power of love will bring me back. Love gives meaning to each moment of your life. Maybe it'll be useful some day."_

_**Useful? How could this be useful? Love breaks hearts. Love cannot mend them.**_

_"Someday you'll meet a kid you love even more than me. When you're older you'll understand."_

_**Never. I will never love anymore more than you, Oto-san. If only I could speak to you one last time...**_

_Jayruss was roughly pulled away from Martini, but he did not struggle. He just smiled and called back, "Martini-chan, you'll grow strong with or without me. Just you remember that! Remember!"_

_**Oh, Oto-san, oh, God. Come back... Come BACK...**_

_"You are Tahata Martini!"_

_**OTO-SAN!**_

_The scene suddenly changed. Martini could see herself, standing there, looking around timidly. All around her were images of her past, of her father mostly, and her mother, and... Aufer? The images disappeared, and four doors replaced them. They were labeled Tori, Jayruss, Aufer and... Martini._

_**I have my own door...?**_

_Martini made for her door and pushed it open. The door quickly disappeared and she was surrounded with words, in strings of sentances. After reading several of them, she noticed... These strings of words were every horrible thought she'd ever had. She could hear them in her mind as she whispered them to herself, consuming her, taking over..._

_Then everything was stark white. Martini shieled her eyes from the sudden burst of bright color. There was a gate before her, tall, gold, with an eye engraved on it..._

_**A... A gate?**_

_**A gate to where...**_

_**A gate to...**_

_**Hell?

* * *

**_Martini's eyes snapped open. Her hand flew to her face, feeling her cheek, the hot, sweating flesh. She was surprised to find another hand there; Kiba's was pushing her bangs up and was pressed firmly against her forehead. The worried faces of Kiba, Neji and Hinata stared down at her.

"You've been screaming for an hour." Kiba said. "You kept screaming, for your father, and about love and wanting your father back."

Martini panted as if she had just run a great distance. Kiba noticed this, and concluded: She was shaken.

"Neji-san, Hinata-san, why don't you two go train. Martini seems shaken. I'll try to see what happened and calm her down."

Hinata nodded. "Alright, Kiba-kun. Come on, Neji-kun, let's go."

As he and Hinata left, Neji cursed silently to himself. Kiba was so... SO... Annoying! He needed to find a way to get back at Kiba. Nobody, _nobody_ threatened Hyuuga Neji!

Hinata, on the other hand, was glad that she and Neji would be alone. She would be able to tell him about the Tahata legacy. But would that be... _Betraying_ Martini? Betraying her family's secrets?


	8. The Gate

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto. B, I don't own FMA (The gate)

**Aforenotes: **Lol, I took the gate from FMA... But FMA doesn't come into this, so, think nothing of it. I just had a brainfreeze. Oh, and sorry this is so short... Brainfreeze, y'know? If I get any ideas I'll rewrite this and replace it.

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter eight: The Gate**

Hinata and Neji were gone. Kiba sat next to Martini a chair silently, just waiting. Akamaru appeared in the doorway, nimbly balancing a glass of water on his head. Martini and gone through about eight glasses in ten minutes, as if trying to cleanse herself, but this left Kiba with a thought; didn't she have to go to the bathroom yet?

All of a sudden, Martini moved. She lifted a pale arm and pointed shakily to the bookcase. "The big leather volume. On the bottom shelf. Could you get it for me?"

Silently, Kiba stood up and retrieved the book for her. Martini snatched it quickly and flipped through pages. Kiba could see it in her eyes as she scanned pages; she was very nervous. Shocked, even. Whatever she had dreamt had a big effect on her.

Of course, you would be shocked too if you saw the gates to Heaven and Hell.

Martini stopped at a blank page and pulled a pencil from... Nowhere. She sketched out some vague drawings then, choosing the best one, turned to Kiba and showed him the page. "So you know anything... Anything at all... About this?"

She drew what she remembered about the gate.

Kiba scrutinized the drawing, then shrugged. "No, sorry. What is it?"

"I don't know. The gates of Hell... A doorway to a world we'll never know." She sighed and put down the book. "It was worth a try. Thanks, Kiba-kun..."

"What did you dream about? That gate?"

Martini shook her head. "No. Not just the gate." She explained her dream to him in as much detail as she could, which was very little.

"What could that _mean_?" Kiba said, half to himself.

All of a sudden, Martini grabbed his hand.

Her eyes were fixed on the glass of water on Akamaru's head. The water was rising out of it, almost alive, almost... Ghostlike. Kiba turned and blinked, then hissed, "Tip... The glass over... Akamaru..."

Akamaru cocked his head to the side at Kiba's command. The glass smashed on the ground, and Kiba felt Martini begin to shiver and quake. The water began to rise out of the smashed glass, swirling intricate patterns in the air. Kiba tried to back away, but remembered Martini and ripped back the sheets, picking her up and sliding back towards the window.

"Martini-sama," He said in a low tone. "Listen to me. If this thing attacks I'm going to have to get out through the window. I'll jump out first and then I'll catch you. You'll have to jump out by yourself. Can you so that?"

Martini nodded shakily. The water did rear up, becoming nearly 20 times the size of a simple glass of water, but made no move towards them. Instead, it merged together into one great body, then swirled together, making a vortex...

Kiba felt Martini torn from his grasp. He watched in awe as she was dragged bu her ankle towards the water, where tiny black hands were wriggling from, pulling her over--

And Martini began to chip away like an old painting--

And she was screaming--

And Kiba was brought back to reality.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He heard Martini scream. She was twisting wildly, pulling away from the hands only to have new ones snake out to pull her in. Her hands grappled away and clawed towards Kiba, as she screamed, "KIBAAA-KUUUN!"

One of her eyes chipped away, and in the space where she would have seen Kiba all she saw was light. Then, the gate... It was open... There were the hands... And an enormous eye...

Kiba sprang over the bed and held out a hand to Martini. When he realized she couldn't take it...

And his fingers just barely brushed hers...

There was an explosion...


	9. The Aftermath

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto. B, I don't own Grease (Amoeba on fleas on rats comment).

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter nine: The Aftermath**

Kiba sprang over the bed and held out a hand to Martini. When he realized she couldn't take it...

And his fingers just barely brushed hers...

There was an explosion...

The house around them burst in a shower of fire, fire from the depths of Hell. And Kiba just let his house burn around him, holding Martini as she cried into his shoulder... Just... Holding her...

The house was nothing but ashes when the fire stopped. Martini and Kiba were untouched. People were just beginning to gather around the hot remains, just beginning to stare. Didn't anybody try to put the fire out?

Kiba muttered soft words to Martini as she cried the pain away. She was reduced to a scared little girl in his arms. Tsunade arrived soon later, picking her way across broken wood and ashes, muttering a quick "Dammit!" Whenever she stepped on a jagged piece of glass and it cut through her sandals. "What happened?" She asked when she stepped up next to them. She reached out and touched Martini's shoulder. "Why're you crying, Martini-san?"

Martini instantly recoiled from Tsunade's touch. She said something in choked sobs.

"What?"

"They want to take me away...They want to take us all away... They want to take us to the other side of the gate and steal our bodies... Our names... The very essence of our being..."

Tsunade blinked. "What are you talking about? Who's _they_? What gate?"

"She had a dream," Kiba answered. "That she was standing in front of an enormous gate. When she woke up, she asked me if I knew anything about it. I didn't, and Akamaru brought her in a glass of water, and the water... Er, reared up and attacked her and tried to take her away into another dimension."

"The underworld," Martini added, her voice muffled by Kiba's shoulder.

Tsunade sighed. "I think I know what happened."

* * *

"I cast genjutsu on Kiba and me?"

Martini brushed away the last tears with her free hand. "How'd I do that? I'm not a ninja. I don't know genjutsu."

"Martini-san, if you'll pardon me saying..." Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "The residents of Sunagakure are idiots, to say the least. And it wasn't _really_ genjutsu."

Martini opened her mouth to protest, but Tsunade dropped a thick, leather-bound volume on her desk. "None of them have the common sense to look in a Sunagakure-history book. Legends and families." She opened to a page and pointed. "_The Tahata family_. See? Anyone who wants to know about you could just look up your legacy right here."

Kiba almost leaned forward to look, but stopped himself out of respect. Martini hadn't let go of his hand since his house burned down, so he couldn't move without alerting her. Best wait until she felt it was time to spill all secrets.

"It's also in here that you moved to Sunagakure after your father was executed. Your mother claimed it was your father's wishes. Now, Martini-san, let's not leave Kiba in the dust. Is there something you want to tell him?"

Martini glared at her feet, kicking the air. "No."

"But Martini-san, you need help right now, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Kiba can supply that help."

Martini sighed and leaned back, looking at the ceiling then closing her eyes. "Telekinesis."

"What?"

"Telekinesis! That's the legacy! Not so much a legacy as a bloodline! It's really more clairvoyance and being able to project images. I can't move things with my mind or anything."

Kiba blinked slowly. Martini sighed. "Because I was in such a state of shock and fear, my powers got out of hand and projected images."

"...Oh."

"Now Martini-san, the images were probably projected because of your state of fear, as you said before. It happened because your brain was sent waves from--"

Tsunade and Martini looked at Kiba. Tsunade moved a hand in a shooing gesture and said, "Do you mind, Kiba-kun...?"

Kiba looked at her, then stood up, blushing. "Oh... Yeah..." He walked around the chairs and paused to look at Martini. Then he continued to the door, his fingers slipping away from Martini as she reluctantly let go.

* * *

Naruto was walking down the streets of Konoha, wondering who to take on the mission to the bridge. When...

"It's been a while... Naruto-san."

Naruto turned, muttering, "Who...?"

"It's me." Shino leaned against a tree, angry that he was so unremembered.

"That's why I'm asking, who are you?"

"Even thought we met long ago, you should always remember the face of your comrades. Because it can hurt the person you talk to if you forget."

"This annoying way of speaking... Could it be..." Naruto pointed accusingly. "SHINO-SAN?"

"You finally remembered." Shino replied.

"I can't recognize your face because you show so little of it! Idiot!"

"Oh, if it ain't Shino back from his 'family business.'"

Naruto looked up to see Kiba on Akamaru, looking at him.

"AND IF IT AIN'T NARUTO-SAN!" Kiba slid off Akamaru and sniffed. "I can regocnize your smell..."

"Is that how you recognized me?"

"Idiot!" Akamaru barked, though only Kiba knew what he was saying. To Naruto, is was simply "WOOF!"

"That dog... Would it be... Akamaru?"

"What do you mean? Of course it's Akamaru."

"Is it usual for a dog to become so big in such a short time?"

Kiba looked back at his dog. "I guess I never realled noticed, 'cause we're together all the time."

"No... I mean... He used to sit on your _head_..."

"Dammit."

Naruto turned. "What the..."

Martini walked around the corner, blinking against the light. "Kiba-kun, is Tsunade _really_ the Hokage? If so, she's a real moron... She tried to explain why I cast the images--"

Martini blinked slowly. "Oh. I'll leave..."

"NO! MARTINI-SAMA!"

Kiba pounced on Martini and dragged her over, a firm hand around her wrist. "I WANT YOU TO MEET SOMEONE!"

Martini's eyes widened. "All right... Who?"

"Martini-sama, meet Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto blinked and looked at Kiba. "Eh?"

"Martini is a girl Hinata, Neji and I have to protect from Sunagakure."

"Isn't Neji a jounin?"

"He was demoted. Tsunade said he didn't finish the required number of missions. After Martini is safe and our mission is over he'll be a jounin again."

Martini and Naruto shook hands, Martini with a cheerful smile. "Yep, Tahata Martini. Nice to meet you."

"Uzumaki Naruto. Are you a ninja?"

"No."

"Then why were you talking about images...? Do you mean genjutsu?"

"No... It's a bloodline, don't think about it."

"CRAP!"

Martini looked at Kiba, who was pacing nervously. "What?"

"What are my parents gonna say when they hear _your_ images burned my house down! I'll be DEAD! Dead, I tell you!"

"Actually, just image, because it was only one."

"I THOUGHT IT WAS AN IMAGE!"

"WELL MAYBE IT MATERIALIZED AND BECAME REAL!"

"WELL MAYBE THAT'S... IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Oh, be a man, Kiba-kun. Face your parents."

"_Be_ a man? I'M A MAN!"

"No you're not, your just a little boy who can't face his parents."

"Nuh uh!" Kiba stamped his foot. "Men are amoeba on fleas on rats, and I'm one of them!"

"Is that why you don't have a girlfriend?" Naruto snickered.

"How would you know if I did?"

"It doesn't look like Martini's your girlfriend, and Hinata's probably not..."

Kiba sighed. "You're right..."

"KIBA-KUN!"

Hinata burst around the corner, breathing heavily. "Kiba-kun, it's horrible, and terrible, it wasn't my fault he just lay down and..."

"What happened?"

"AUFER!"

"Aufer?"

"AUFER! He hid in one of Martini's boxes and came over with us and then I found him and took him to my house and he told me this story and now I know about Martini and the Tahatas and then Aufer was cursed and Aufer sat down just now in the forest after I told Neji and now he's dead!" She cried in one breath.

"Aufer's dead?"

"YES, YOU TWIT, AUFER'S DEAD!"

Kiba's eyes instinictivly shot to Martini, who was standing there dumbly. Then, he paused. "...Did you just call me a _twit_?"

"IS THAT SO WRONG?"

To tell the truth, Aufer's death didn't really make an impact on Kiba. He had always thought that polite weirdo would die some time soon... Nevertheless, he looked at Martini and smiled wryly. "Martini-sama? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Martini said firmly. "I've cried out all the tears I have." She turned around and walked away. "I just don't care anymore..."


	10. Lilies, Orchids and Mistletoes

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto.

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter ten: Lilies, Orchids and Mistletoes**

It was midnight when Kiba woke up. He sat up and rubbed an eye, leaning over to switch on the light. Running a hand through his hair, he glanced at the clock and winced. "Midnight... How nice..." He got out of bed in his pajamas printed with little puppies (Puppies were his weakness) and went to the next room over to check on Martini. Hinata had offered to let the Inuzuka's stay at the Hyuuga's mansion until their house was rebuilt. And it had been chaos whe it was discovered the Hyuugas were cat lovers.

He pushed open the door and noticed the bed was empty. For a moment, he was hypervenilating, but Neji walked by yawning and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "The river..."

Kiba regarded Neji's back with a look. Why was he up? He looked down the corridor. Ah. Bathroom.

Kiba, careful not to wake anyone, slid out into the cold October night and stole off to the river, leaving Akamaru inside. He didn't want to scare the wits out of Martini, and a giant dog creeping up on you at midnight was frightening. But a _human_ creeping up on you at midnight was even scarier.

He made his way through the trees until he saw the moonlight glittering off the water. Ah, the river. How many times he swam in it during summer he didn't know. But tonight was not a night for swimming.

He broke out of the trees and into the clearing around the riverbanks. "Martini-sama?" He called quietly. Kiba's keen hearing picked up strangled sobs and the swish of a liquid in a glass bottle. "Martini-sama?"

"Go away, Kiba-kun." Was the response.

"Martini-sama, I want to help." He looked around and kept ducking around trees. Where was she? "What's wrong? Where are you?"

"I said go away, Kiba-kun."

"I don't want to go away until you tell me what's wrong!" He replied, ever persistant. He sniffed the air and blinked. How had she erased her smell? His left ear twitch, and he turned that way. That was where the sound waves of her voice were coming from...

"GO AWAY!"

Kiba found himself facing an monster; it had the body of a dragon, and it was as large as one, but the enormous horns of a bull, and a gold ring going on one nostril and circling out of the other. It snorted at him and bent its head close, it's grapefruit-sized yellow, unblinking eyes focused directly on his face.

"Your images don't f-fool me!" He called over the breathing of the bulldragon, his voice faltering slightly. Knowledge was only useful if you could resist believing what you saw.

The bulldragon disappeared. "I forgot you knew. But just go away. I don't want to talk to you right now."

"Why?"

"Because I'm busy, Kiba-kun."

"But M..." Kiba looked at the sky. "Martini-chan..."

From her stop by the waterfall, Martini turned. Had she heard right? _Chan?_

"...The waterfall..."

Kiba sprang forward out of the bushes to land next to her by the water. The image of a lantern next to her provided a flickering light. "What's wrong, Martini-chan?"

She looked at him; Kiba noticed the small trails of water on her stiffening face. She smiled. "I found some more tears to cry. But I'm done now."

"Why were you crying, then?"

"It's just..." Martini looked at the water and swirled it around with her finger. "...Aufer was my best friend..."

Kiba sat down and looked into the water. He blinked slightly and said, "You don't need to prove anything, Martini-chan."

Martini bent her head to one side. "What do you mean?"

"We're on this mission to protect you. You can cry, you can be scared, hell, you could want to kill us all. But you'll never change in our eyes. You were hiding your emotions when you said you wouldn't cry earlier, when you really wanted to sit down and cry until you puked. It's okay."

Martini looked at him, then at her feet. "I know."

"No, you don't, which is why we're here right now."

Something floated by in the water that caught Martini's attention. She dipped her hand into the water and pulled it out; a lily.

"The lily..." Her voice trailed off as she smiled. She turned her body to Kiba and took his hand. "The flower of the zodiac sign Cancer. In the profiles Tsunade gave us, you were born July seventh, no?" She pressed the flower into his palm. "That's a Cancer. Same as Akamaru."

Kiba blinked. Where was this coming from? He looked down at the flower in his hand. "When were you born, Martini?"

"... March fourth." With a delicate shimmer, a flower appeared in her hand, which she twirled by the stem several times before it disappeared in gray smoke. "The Orchid. The Japanese symbol for conquest."

"How do you know this?"

"I was interested in flowers once I moved to Sunagakure. They have so many flowers there! In Sunagakure, flowers are loved because they're exotic. They get lots of imports. As I grew, I never went to school, really, so I kept myself busy by looking up flowers in dictionaries."

Kiba's eyes shone bightly in the dim light as he remembered something else his elder sister had told him about the orchid. "The orchid isn't the symbol for conquest. That's a nasturtium. My sister told me. The orchid is the symbol for love, refinement. Beauty."

Kiba noticed her blush, as she obviously knew this. "And you know what else?"

Martini looked up. "What?"

Kiba reached up into a tree and broke off a leaf, holding it above them. "The mistletoe is the only flower that means 'kiss me.'"

**Afternotes: **AHAHAHAHAHAHA SUSPENSE! -Points and laughs maliciously-


	11. Cause You Got Nothin' On Me

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto. B, I don't own The Donnas' "Fall Behind Me."

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter eleven: Cry and Beg for Mercy**

Martini stared at the mistletoe with a glint in her eye from the lantern.

_The mistletoe is the only flower that means 'kiss me.'_

He was right.

She looked at Kiba, then at the ground, smiling the small, cute smile Kiba liked. "Kiba-kun..."

Kiba lifted her chin with a finger. "Martini-chan..."

"Neji-san." A new voice said.

"Neji-san?"

Martini and Kiba turned their heads and blinked. Neji rubbed one eye and pointed at Martini. "You, get to bed. It's past midnight."

Kiba and Martini stood up, blushing, and looked at each other. Neji let Martini pass, but blocked Kiba with an arm. "Martini-sama, do you know the way back to the mansion?"

"Yes..."

"Good. Kiba-san, you stay here. I need to speak with you."

Once he was sure Martini was gone, Neji narrowed his eyes and hissed, "What the Hell are you doing?"

"Oh, is Neji-san jealous?" Kiba retorted.

"No, it's just you're making out with a client at _midnight_!"

"We weren't making out, but we WOULD be if SOMEONE didn't butt in!"

"I'm not going to let you _make out_ with a _client_ at _midnight_! ESPECIALLY when TODAY is..." He smirked. "The day I become a jounin."

Kiba glared at him. "What? Not until the mission's over..." His eyes widened. "No..."

"We just got the call. Martini's to return to Sunagakure later today."

Kiba's pupils shrank. "But... I didn't even..." He looked at his feet and shifted. "Martini didn't get to hear..."

"Of course, she wouldn't have to go home if I didn't find her mother's cell phone number and call her and tell her where her daughter was. She's coming and demands her daughter back in Sunagakure. She said she didn't care whatever the Hell her husband said, she wants her back."

Kiba's eyes widened again in rage. "You..." He gritted his teeth. "You bastard..."

"That _is_ the correct term, you know." Neji smirked again, enraging Kiba even more. "You shouldn't have confronted me when Martini was drunk. Now you know, when you mess with me, I get my revenge a hundred times worse!"

That was the wrong thing to say. Kiba's fist made contact with Neji's cheek a milisecond later, sending him staggering aside.

Kiba pointed to himself with a thumb. "Now _you_ know, you play with fire, you get BURNED!"

**You're gonna fall behind me**

Neji, after rubbing the wound for a moment, made the necessary hand signs and activated his byakugan. He focused his superior eyes on Kiba and said in a dangerously low tone, "It's over already, Kiba-kun."

"It ain't over!" Kiba replied. "You're using your stupid tricks to win. You're gonna cheat and use all your bloodline shit. Forget jutsu! We're gonna fight with our fists!"

Neji narrowed his eyes, but turned off the byakugan. "Fine. But that just gives me more of an advantage to kick your ass."

Kiba didn't reply. He sent a swinging kick to Neji's face, where Neji caught his ankle and easily flipped him into a tree. "Worthless."

**You're gonna cry and beg for mercy**

Kiba hit the tree with force and shut his eyes instinctively. He wiped blood from his lip as he was showered with pine needles from above.

_Pine. Hope._

He opened his fist, surprised to see the lily from Martini still there. A tiger lily.

_Pride._

He closed his fingers around it and stood up.

**'Cause you're not ready**

Kiba ran towards Neji, going for a punch to the chest this time. Neji sidestepped and dealt Kiba a kick to the gut, sending him back into another tree.

"Will you just stop this?" Neji asked, sighing. "I'm tired and slow. I'd much rather fight you when I'm fully awake."

"You making fun of me?"

"Oh, so you noticed."

The last hit was Kiba going for Neji's legs, but Neji jumped over him and dealt him a blow to the head. And so Kiba lay there, bleeding, as Neji picked a flower and twirled it in his fingers. "Ah, the yellow hyacinth. You know what that means?" As he walked back to the mansion, he dropped the flower on Kiba. "Shame.

**'Cause you got nothin' on me.**

"No, Neji," Kiba said, sitting up. But Neji was already gone. Kiba picked up the flower and threw it in the river. "The yellow hyacinth stands for jealousy."


	12. Mother Dearest

**Disclaimers: **A, I don't own Naruto.

**Bleeding Martini  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter twelve: Mother Dearest**

"KIBA-KUN!"

"What, Hinata-san?"

"WHAT?"

"Martini's mother is here..."

* * *

"What are you doing here. Answer me that."

Tahata Tori laced her fingers together thoughtfully. She and Martini were in the conference room, sitting at the table. She closed her eyes, then opened them to look at her daughter. "Why, love, I'm here to take you home from this horrid place."

"THIS HORRID PLACE!" Martini repeated, utterly outraged. "This _horrid place_ is your BIRTHPLACE! This is your original home country. You can't just turn your back on it because _he_ said so!"

Martini couldn't bring herself to say the name of her mother's boyfriend. In fact, his name isn't all that important anyway. Moving on.

"He didn't say so, your father said so." Tori replied. Tahata Tori was every bit movie-star material... With her make up. Without her make up, her ash-black mascara, her cherry red lipstick, she was just a middle-aged woman. She had the same eyes and hair of her daughter, but a stronger spirit and a will to prove herself to the world. "You wouldn't want to abandon your father's wishes, would you?"

"Why do _you_ care?" Martini spat. "You're the one who mourned for a day, then went boy-scouting another! Oka-san, you sicken me."

"Maybe so, but I am your mother." Tori motioned to the table in front of her. Laid out were intricate designs of gold jewelry, a variety of iPods, papers, books. You name an expensive gift, it was there. "I'm willing to give you all this to return to Sunagakure with me." She picked up a paper and waved it. "Even your own house. You're own mansion, actually."

Martini took the paper; they were the deed to a house. But it was not legitimate; there was a line that said "Write location here."

Martini picked up one of the jewel-encrusted pens on the table and scribbled on the line. She handed it back to her mother, who read aloud, "_853 Sapling lane._ Dear, that's the house we're in now."

"I know. The house of the Hyuuga clan. If anywhere, I want to live here, not in any fancy crap. Leave here and never return." Martini slammed her fist on the table, making the whole house shake. "Now. And if you won't leave, I will." She turned and made for the door, but not before her mother said, "Martini-chan, I do know what you want."

"Hah," Martini scoffed. "And what's that, Oka-san?"

"Inuzuka Kiba."

Martini turned, blushing. "OKA-SAN! You don't even know about him!"

"Oh, but I do. Ever since I found out where you were from Neji..."

"I don't CARE!"

"Well you should, because the fate of Kiba depends on you."

Martini narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you don't come home I'll have Kiba killed. Look around. Look around with your clairvoyant eyes. Do you not see them?"

Martini calmed her mind to the level where she could see through genjutsu. In the world of Naruto, the extra power to see through genjutsu was added to clairvoyancy. She could see them easily; several ninjas, covered with genjutsu.

"At my command, they will kill Inuzuka Kiba."

Time stopped. Martini turned around slowly, eyes flaming. Every lightbulb in the room exploded in a shower of glass, pressured by telekinetic energy. "If you kill him I'll make your life a living Hell. I'll do it. Just because you're my mother doesn't mean I won't hurt you."

"I don't care, you'll be mourning too deeply."

"You BITCH!" Martini shrieked, pulling back a fist. Martini wasn't the kind of girl to bitchslap. She punches.

Her mother's hand shot up; two fingers erect, the other two curled up neatly. Martini saw the ninja shift with their weapons. Martini recalled the signal from one of her mother's movies; the sign to get ready.

Martini's fist stopped inches from her mother's nose.

It was at that moment, Kiba decided the burst in.

"MARTINI-CHAN!"

Martini fell into his arms, crying. Kiba, blinking, hugged her back. "What? You're not going home, are you...?"

"I am," She whispered.

Kiba rested his chin on her head. "Aw. That's real bad..."

"Martini-chan, love!"

Martini lifted her eyes where her mother was standing by the door. The ninjas that were hunting Kiba now held all her stuff.

"Hurry! It's time to go." Tori lifted her hand in the signal and Martini buried her face in Kiba's chest. "I don't want to."

"Mar-ti-ni-chan!" Tori urged impatiently. "Come on!"

Martini pulled back from Kiba and looked at his face, scanning for signs. There were none. Silently, she made her way to the door, Tori and the ninjas turning and disappearing beforehand. She paused and looked back, where Kiba stood still. "Good bye."

Then, she left.

Kiba stood dumb for a moment, then... Exploded, emotionally.

"WAIT PROMISE YOU'LL WRITE?"

"Yes, Kiba-kun."

"AND CALL?"

"Yes, Kiba-kun."

"Will you visit?"

"I don't think I'll be able to."

Kiba followed her out of the house and watched her disappear down the road.

"Just fills you with grief, doesn't it?" A smug voice said from behind him. Neji opened the door and grinned. "The mission's over now."

Kiba glared at him. "You know I'm going to kill you some day."

But that is a story for another day.

* * *

**_The End

* * *

_**


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